When I was growing up, Easter eggs were more of a holiday decoration than a holiday food. My mom boiled the heck out of them until the whites were rubbery and the yolks were ringed with grayish-green, we dunked them in their chemical dyes until the whites were tinged fuschia and emerald, and then they sat in our Easter baskets for at least a week. No way were we going to eat those things when we were done with them.

But these days, I hate to throw out perfectly good food, I make my Easter eggs for decoration AND eating. That means I pay close attention to cooking them just right, with these Test Kitchen tips on cooking eggs perfectly every time. And the colored eggs are staying safe in my  fridge until Easter morning, so that the leftovers will be fresh enough to make some tasty deviled eggs or egg salad.